Mentions some major features of proposed paradigm shifts and suggests theories, models, and techniques that could replace the assumptions of our earlier generation of comparative educationists. (BRR)

Lists 242 articles from 16 journals published in January-June 1984 on: adult/nonformal education (8); comparative education--general (30); comparative education--theory/case studies (11); educational planning and reform (13); higher education (22); Africa (14); Asia (52); Australia/Oceania (4); Europe (68); Latin America/Caribbean (6); Middle…

Addresses applications of the coefficient of variation as a measure of educational inequality or as a means of measuring changes of inequality status. Suggests the Gini coefficient has many advantages over the coefficient of variation since it can be used with the Lorenz curve (Lorenz provides detail Gini omits). (BRR)

Comparative education can deepen understanding of our own education and society, be of assistance to policymakers and administrators, and form a most valuable part of teacher education. Like all applied fields, however, it is open to potential abuse by those who would use its results to support--or oppose--specific change programs. (BRR)

Lays out a framework in which microeconomic decision theory and elements of information/communication theory drawn from human geography and sociology are joined in an integrated approach to the analysis of the spread of schooling among the less developed countries. Tests the model on area variations in India, Brazil, and Mexico. (BRR)

Steven Klees's criticism of Thobani's application of neoclassical economics to funding education by increasing tuition fees is based in part on misunderstanding or misrepresentation of arguments. The neoclassical framework can readily incorporate exogenous constraints; such constraints are political realities that must be reckoned with rather than…

Reports on an Australian-American research project designed to contribute to the understanding of comparative public policy--particularly in relation to the education policy domain. Notes research team was comprised of 1 American and 15 Australians. Shows findings of one American and eight Australian studies that reveal clear dissimilarities and…

Notes that traditional views of nineteenth century comparative education (a period of Eurocentric "borrowing") neglect western selection and transfer of educational models to the Third World ("selective lending"). Traces the first three decades of colonial Zaire's experience--beginning in 1877--which illustrate the…

Evaluates competing explanations for the relatively poor educational performance in Appalachian Kentucky. Concludes that substantial economic diversification would probably result in improved educational status. Warns against reliance on extractive industries and presents data showing increased income from mining to be significantly correlated…

Examines the methodology of a comparative study by Tuppen and Deutrom of student performance in Third World countries and challenges its conclusions by providing a rationale for redefining retentivity as the proportion of the original enrollment retained rather than the proportion of the age group enrolled. (MM)

During the 1950s-60s, a "people as clay" metaphor undergirded the most widely accepted English-language, predominantly North American writings on education for Third World development. Writings based on "people as growing plants" challenged the earlier writings from the late 1960s-late 1970s. Late 1970s developments have helped…

Discusses problems associated with reform of secondary school curricula in Kenya in the period immediately after independence. Follows the course of two innovations--School Mathematics of East Africa (SMEA) and the Africanization of the literature curriculum--and discusses various reasons for their failure and for Kenya's continued dependence on…

Analyzes data from Karachi's four largest teacher training schools in order to answer questions about teacher shortages for rural areas in Pakistan, costs of teacher training, and employment status of newly trained teachers. Finds heavy state subsidy of teacher training and a large pool of unemployed urban teachers. (JHZ)

An analysis of national programs for monitoring student achievement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that political considerations in all three countries have inhibited the clarification of program objectives and the implementation of the technology required to generate meaningful information capable of reliable…

Interviews and survey questionnaires were used to collect--from 302 randomly selected farm households in the Kahvre Palanchowk District in eastern Nepal--information regarding how families make decisions about schooling for children. The findings suggest that sociocultural and economic factors cause parents to discriminate among children according…